Moratorium on Charter School Expansion, Did Your Alderman Sign?

On Feburary 13, 2013 a resolution was introduced at City Council:

Call for Chicago Board of Education to establish moratorium on charter school expansion for 2014-2015 school year.

Simply put why is CPS opening up new charter schools when they have 129 neighborhood schools on the chopping block for closure?

As recent as Dec. 7th, 2012, CPS proposed five new Charter schools and One Contract and have a total of 19 new schools pending/approved by the BOE for Fall 2013. This during the same time that the City and CPS campaigned about the loss of students and the need to close 100+ schools.

For some reason Mayor Emanuel, CPS BOE and CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett can justify Charter School expansion because they claim there is a long waitlist for them. They have taken the need for better public schools in CPS to mean Charter schools. But somehow they are deaf to the voices of thousands of parents, students and communties that are asking for their neighborhood school to be saved. Or at least base closings on correct data and well-defined criteria.

These 35 alderman, like many of the parents and students in CPS recognize the hypocrisy of the Mayor, CPS BOE and CEO Byrd-Bennett in opening new Charter schools while closing neighborhood schools.

Is your alderman on board? If not, why not? See list below: